Optoelectronic devices, such as optical receivers, optical transmitters and optical transceivers, for example, generally involve interconnection with a circuit substrate such as a printed circuit board (PCB). For example, an optoelectronic device was connected to a printed circuit board by mounting the optoelectronic device on the PCB. The optoelectronic device was interconnected with the PCB by surface mounting techniques, such as flip-chip mounting, through-hole mounting or wire bonding, for example. In each case, the optoelectronic device was mounted on a surface of the PCB.
A component to be mounted on a PCB, whether electronic or optoelectronic, was generally provided with a lead frame package. The lead frame package either included electrical leads or did not include electrical leads, depending on the intended mounting technique. A leadless lead frame package included solder bumps or solder plates on a surface of the component which made electrical contact with electrically conductive traces disposed on, or embedded, in the PCB. A lead frame package with leads included various lead frame structures, including J-bend leads, gull wing leads and through-hole leads. A J-bend lead extended from the side of the component and curved beneath the component. The J-bend lead raised the component above the surface of the PCB. A gull wing lead extended from the side of the component, and curved down and away from the component. The gull wing lead also raised the component above the PCB or allowed the component to rest on the PCB surface. A through-hole lead extended from below or from the side of the component and extended through electrical vias in the PCB. The through-hole lead raise the component above the PCB surface or allowed the component to rest on the PCB surface.
In many cases, the circuit package of the component and the PCB, such as those described above, limited the profile of the circuit package. For example, flat-panel displays, such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs), generally used components having a thin profile in order to decrease the overall profile of the display panel. Likewise, laptop computers were generally designed and manufactured to have a low profile. Although the PCB and the optical component were manufactured to have a thin profile, the profile of the overall circuit package was still limited. In turn, the profiles of the display panel or laptop computer were limited.
In some cases, a PCB included a cutout and a passive electrical connector was positioned in the cutout, thereby reducing the profile of the combination passive connector and PCB. The passive connector, which was sometimes a passive pluggable connector, provided an interface between the PCB and an interconnect such as a cable. However, active components, such as active electrical components and active optoelectronic components, for example, remained mounted on the surface of the PCB thereby increasing the overall profile of the circuit package.